The Legacy MalfoyClancy
by Sawnah
Summary: Voldemort is gone. Erica Clancy enters Hogwarts for the first time and meets Cole Malfoy. Cole soon finds out there's more to Erica than he thought there was on his first glance...
1. Chapter 1 Diagon Alley

Name: Legacy  
Pairing: Cole Malfoy / Erica Clancy  
Rating: none  
Genre: drama, humor, romance  
Summary: The Heir of the Dark Lord

Chapter 1

**Diagon Alley**

'Dear Ms Clancy', that's what it said in the letter she had received. She did not need to read the letter, for she knew what memorized every sentence and each word ever since she had been taught how to read. The Clancy family had received five of those letters and she had been waiting for her turn ever since her oldest brother Mark first got the invitation to Hogwarts.  
Erica still hadn't let go of the envelope or the letter. Excited as she was, she remained calm. And every time someone mentioned how Erica would finally join the rest of the family in the Gryffindor common room, she felt a certain annoyance, which she couldn't explain. She had always hated how she was the last to do everything. 'Been there, done that'.  
This time it would be different. She was going to make sure of that. She didn't want to go to Hogwarts and be called "the youngest Clancy" or "Mark's sister". No, she would break free and show them all. She'd show them just how unique she could be.

"Hurry up, Anton, dear!"  
"I'm coming, mum", Anton's voice responded and Erica caught a glimpse of him storming past her bedroom, still pulling a shirt over his head. Erica placed her hairbrush on her desk and followed Anton downstairs and into the kitchen. She could not see why their mother had rushed Anton; two of Erica's siblings were still upstairs apparently.  
"Morning", Mark said and Erica saw him nodding his head towards her.  
"G'morning", Erica replied.  
"Good morning, Erica", Hayley Clancy, Erica's mother gave her a warm smile.  
"Mum, I can't find it!" Anton cried out and caught their mother's attention before Erica had the chance to reply.  
"Well, I suggest you keep looking then, young man!"

"Ha! Gotcha! Gotcha good, Mark!" Derek roared in excitement as his queen took Mark's bishop. Mark sighed in his regular way which made Erica realize that he had given the bishop willingly, not that Derek would've noticed.  
"Silly me, whatever am I going to do now?" Mark said with a sneaky tone. "Queen to E-8."  
"Wha..? No!" Derek yelled, and watched Mark's queen smash Derek's king into bits and pieces.  
"Touchdown!"  
"That's gotta hurt!" Erica turned around to see that her two sisters, Jane and Tracey had entered the room. Jane and Tracey were twins, but they could be easily recognized, ever since Jane had cut her red hair short.  
"Shut it, Tracey!" Derek snapped. "Same goes for you, Jane!"  
"Make me, midget", Tracey shot back with a grin.  
"The three of you, stop it!" the head of the family, Max Clancy stepped into the room. Erica turned to look at him and saw  
"Sure, dad", Jane said and the twins took their seats. Realizing that she was still standing, Erica sat in between Tracey and Mark and got started on her breakfast.

The Clancy family had eight members all in all. The firstborn, Mark Clancy, was about to start his seventh and last year in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Mark had a laidback hairstyle and he resembled their father greatly, with one exception. Mark had used a spell to lighten the color of his hair and was now blonde. The Clancy twins were two years younger than Mark. Jane, the older one of the twins was often agitated by the younger half, Tracey. They were so much alike that people usually said that they shared the same mind. They would've been identical with their red hair and green eyes if Jane's hair was much shorter than Tracey's. Anton and Derek were the most competitive of the family. Derek was starting his fourth year and Anton was moving onto his third. The two rarely got along with each other and made a contest out of everything. They were very much alike, even if they both got furious if anyone ever pointed it out. Their hair was chestnut brown and cut quite short. The youngest child, Erica, had bright red long hair that made a wave-like curl as it descended on her elbows. Like the rest of the family, Erica's eyes were green. Hayley Clancy's hair was short and red like Jane's and Max Clancy had brown hair.

"All set?" Max asked and gave the room a questioning expression on his face.  
"You bet!" Tracey replied with enthusiasm, "Diagon Alley awaits!" Jane continued. Erica got up and ran upstairs to her room, to fetch her bag and something extra. She opened her desk drawer and reached out for a small silk pouch. She put the pouch in her bag and ran back downstairs to join the rest of the family in the kitchen.  
"I'm ready", Erica said, trying to catch her breath.  
"Hold it", their mother said with suspicion in her voice, and Erica looked up with a startled expression. To her relief, Hayley was looking at her sister and not at Erica. "What do you have there, Janey?" With that, all eyes turned to Jane who had both her hands behind her back.  
"Moi? Oh, mother, I do not know what you're referring to."  
"Nice try, girls. I'd think that after 15 years I can tell when you two are up to no good. Let's have it, then", Hayley said and straightened her hand, waiting for Jane to hand over whatever it was that she was hiding.  
"Oh, mum, it's only a Niffler…"  
"Yes, try to understand we're doing what's best for the family---"  
"--and the house---"  
"--by taking it with us!"  
"A Niffler?!" their mother shrieked. "Where on earth did you get that creature?"  
"It was a present—"  
"Our birthday passed, as you know---"  
"Elise thought she was being a comedian…"  
"When really, she was being a retard…  
"And so, since we can't keep it, we're selling it!"  
"Yes, I should think you would be proud of us, mother!"  
"Oh, lord knows this is too much to take…" Hayley sighed. "Max, please, say something!"  
"Give it here, girls", Max made the same gesture as Hayley had a while ago and once Jane had passed the Niffler to their father, Max went to the window, opened it and let the Niffler out of the glass jar it was kept in. Then he turned back to his family. "There. Problem solved." Jane and Tracey gasped, shocked.  
"Dad! That was valuable!"  
"Yeah, we could've easily scored five galleons with that!"  
"Nonsense", their mother said in disbelief. "We're already running late, so Mark, you go first."

Mark stepped out of the kitchen and the rest of the family followed him into the living room. Mark approached their huge fireplace and took a handful of Floo Powder, stepped into the fireplace and threw it down onto the floor of the fireplace.  
"Diagon Alley!" Mark stated with a clear voice and soon he was engulfed by green flames. Once the flames had settled, he was gone. The rest of the family did the same and one by one the Clancy family members appeared in the Leaky Cauldron. Erica bent down to brush the cinder out of her clothes and then threw her hair back as she had straightened herself back up. Her parents were going through the same annual problem. Where to go first and in which groups? Erica had always been forced to tag along with her mother, she couldn't stay home alone, so the shopping trips to Diagon Alley had been painfully boring and felt like torture brought upon her on purpose, because every year she had to watch how her siblings were given new spell books, new brooms, cats and toads and cauldrons… She was looking forward to the moment when she could get away from her mother.  
"Mark, Jane and Tracey are old enough to make do by themselves, so your father will be going to Gringotts with them, while the rest of us stay together. We'll go to Madam Malkin's first to get ---, yes Mark, I know you need new robes as well and I have your sizes, I _am_ your mother, after all! We'll meet back here in, let's say, an hour so we can return home together. Let's go, quickly now."

Once they had entered and exited Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Erica was hardly paying any attention to her mother. Anton and Derek were arguing about their Quidditch skills, which then changed into a fight about preferences on famous Quidditch players. The only thing that really got Erica's attention, was when her mother asked if she could get a wand by herself.  
"Getting the robes took longer than I expected and we still have to get the new books, potion's equipment and…" her mother went on and Erica stopped listening. Once she had stopped babbling, Erica replied that she had no problem with buying the wand on her own, so her mother handed Erica some gold and she headed towards Ollivander's. She felt her excitement grow as she heard the bell on the door jingling. Erica entered the shop to find it hadn't changed a bit. It was filled with tall shelves which were packed with small boxes, each containing a magic wand. Mr. Ollivander was behind the counter and lifted his head up, then welcomed Erica with a smile.  
"Your turn at last, eh?" he said, still keeping the smile on his face. Erica felt her mood fall a little and she just gave him a nod as an answer. "Oh, yes, I've sold plenty of wands to the Clancy children. Tell me, has Derek been able to keep his wand intact this year?"  
"Yeah, it's in one piece this time."  
"Good to hear, good to hear. Shame about his first wand, though, that one was a beauty… Eleven inches, rosewood, quite reliable with charms… yes… yes… I remember it well."  
Mr. Ollivander turned around to face to the back of the shop.  
"Suzelia, would you assist me?" he called out and soon a blonde woman walked from behind the shelves.  
"Certainly, Mr. Ollivander, which wand would you like me to get?"  
"Purplewood", Mr. Ollivander replied shortly and the woman climbed up one of the ladders. "You see, I've gotten old, can't very much do all the work around here by myself anymore", Mr. Ollivander told Erica. Suzelia had climbed back down with one of the boxes and Mr. Ollivander approached Erica with it. Once he had reached her, he opened the box and gave the wand to Erica. "As I said, Purplewood, bendy, eight inches… try it out."  
Erica gave the wand a beautiful wave-like movement and blue sparks flew out. The sparks didn't disappear as they normally should, however, and as they reached the floor, blue flames emitted. Mr. Ollivander drew his wand.  
"Aquamenti", he muttered and water sprang from the tip of the wand. "No matter. Suzelia, please bring me Prima Vera next."  
Once fetched, Mr. Ollivander handed the wand to Erica and she gave it a wave, and severed a wooden chair into pieces. Mr. Ollivander didn't seem pleased. The next wand was made out of sugary Pine and once again it brought destruction upon the small shop.  
"Ah, no matter, I've yet to fail at this… Suzelia, Snakewood next, please."  
"Right away, Mr. Ollivander", Suzelia replied and returned with yet another box. Mr. Ollivander took the wand and gave it to Erica.  
"Snakewood, nine inches, springy… try it out, try it out…"  
Erica felt something different this time and she gave a confident wave towards the chair she had broken. To her surprise, every wooden piece of the chair was lifted into the air and they started swirling in circles, locking back together and into their own places. As the chair descended to the floor, it was good as new.  
"Yet to fail, Ms Clancy", Mr. Ollivander repeated proudly. "That's your wand, without a doubt."  
"Whoa", Erica whispered. She paid for the wand and left the wand shop.

Erica started walking along Diagon Alley. She passed the local wizarding joke shop and saw her sisters inside. Erica started to walk faster; she didn't want to be seen. When she reached Gringotts, which was at the center of Diagon Alley someone caught her attention. Erica was about to continue, when she saw how that certain someone turned from Diagon Alley and turned his steps towards Knockturn Alley. Without exactly knowing why, Erica followed the boy she had seen.  
Knockturn Alley was nothing like Diagon Alley. It was dark and narrow and through the shop windows Erica saw shrunken heads, giant spiders, poisonous candles and all sorts of dark objects. She passed a boutique called Borgin & Burkes and soon after noticed that she had lost sight of the boy, because she had been 'sightseeing' far too long. Erica sped up and continued to walk along the dark alley and soon reached a clearing. And there she saw the boy she had been following and got her first clear look at him.  
He was quite pale and with his blonde hair he seemed a little eerie in the dark surroundings. There was a certain 'coolness' coming from him. He was leaning against a wall, eyes fixed on a shop across the clearing. Erica was sure she didn't want to know what kind of shop it was. Erica approached the boy, she was certain that he knew she was there, even if he hadn't given any notice to her yet. There was something intriguing about that boy…  
"Um… hey", Erica spoke out once she was only a few steps away from the boy. He seemed to be ignoring her. Erica blushed but kept her eyes on the boy, while he still had his eyes nailed to the shop. After a moment of silence, Erica tried again. "My name's Erica, what's y—"  
"You don't belong here", the boy said coldly. Erica froze for a second, and then regained her voice.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I believe I made myself clear. This isn't the right place for you. And I do not like being followed", through the sentence the boy didn't even glance at Erica.  
"I didn't—", Erica started but sighed and grinned. "You saw me?"  
"Who wouldn't see you?" the boy replied and turned his head to Erica. Erica's heart jumped and she blushed again. The boy's eyes were… so cold but yet so… enchanting at the same time.  
"Um…"  
"What I meant is that you stand out, the way you dress, the way you walk, your kind do not belong here", the boy said and turned his head back to the shop. At that moment, the shop door opened and a man walked out. Erica turned to look and was shocked to see a striking resemblance between the man and the boy.  
"Cole, we're leaving", the man said with a loud commanding voice. The boy reacted instantly and took a step away from the wall he was leaning on.  
"Go home", the boy told Erica, giving her one last cold look and then leaving the clearing with his father.


	2. Chapter 2 Little Ms Popularity

Chapter 2

**Little Ms Popularity**

"Erica, wake up."  
Erica walked to the door and opened it. Mark stood behind it, his blonde hair all messy and still sleep in his green eyes.  
"What is it?" Erica asked shortly.  
"I hope you're packed and ready to go", Mark told her. "We're about to leave, mum's making sandwiches and other snacks to take to the train since we don't have time to eat here."  
"I'm ready; I'll be down in a sec", she said and gave a smile to her brother.  
"'Kay", Mark turned to leave.  
"Could you take my trunk downstairs? It's kind of heavy… please?" Erica asked and Mark gave her a grin.  
"Yeah, 'course", he replied and Erica stepped aside to let him into the room. Erica had placed her school trunk onto her bed, to make packing easier.  
"Thanks", Erica smiled again.  
"Taking advantage of our fool of a brother, are we, little sister?" Tracey's voice came from the door. "Why didn't we think of that, Jay?"  
"Because you decided to ride your drunks downstairs", Mark said with a warm grin.  
"Oh… Yeah, we did, didn't we, Trey?" Jane looked up and lifted one of her fingers on her chin.  
"Good times, Jay…"  
"Should we try it? For old times' sake?"  
"You read my mind", Tracey grinned and the twins stormed to get their trunks. Erica and Mark switched a worried look. They weren't worried because their sisters' might get hurt, at least as worried as they were about the reaction their mother would have on this new stunt.  
"Geronimo!"  
"What she said!"  
The twins' laughter and screams of joy didn't last for long and were soon replaced by sighs of pain and the screams of… their mother.  
"When do you suppose it's safe to go downstairs?" Anton had appeared from the corridor and into Erica's room.  
"Next week, maybe", Mark threw a guess and the three of them did their best not to laugh. Laughter, if heard downstairs, might be fatal right now.

A week had passed from visiting Diagon Alley. Erica had spent most of the week by herself. Reading her new spell books, practicing the wand movements and memorizing potion formulas. She was eager to learn, but she couldn't concentrate. He was on her mind. The boy she had met on Knockturn Alley. Cole. Does he go to Hogwarts? Would she maybe see him on the Hogwarts Express? Questions like these provoked Erica's curiosity. Would she be given the chance to get to know him better?

"See you on Christmas, kids", Max Clancy had his arm around his wife. Hayley Clancy waved goodbye as the Hogwarts Express started to move and slowly gain speed. Once the platform area had ended, all the Clancy children went their separate ways to find their group of friends. All, except one. Erica stood in the somewhat empty corridor. Most people had settled into the compartments of the train and after swallowing the slight feeling of abandonment, Erica started to walk along the corridor, to find a fitting compartment. To her surprise and joy she soon found him, Cole, in a compartment with a few other boys. The others looked quite nasty, so Erica didn't have the courage to go in. Cole apparently hadn't noticed her at all. Erica opened the door of the opposite compartment and met the eyes of three other girls. The girls were chatting cheerfully but when Erica interrupted them, the cheerfulness disappeared.  
"Uhh… hey… Mind if I sit here?" Erica asked. The girl sitting closest to the door, a black haired Asian girl looked to the two others. The girl next to her, a brunette shrugged back and then turned to look at the third one. She was a blonde girl, sitting with her arms and legs crossed and her blue eyes turned to Erica. She was staring at her, from head to toe, as if evaluating whether Erica was worthy of their company. Her arrogance annoyed Erica and she shrugged.  
"Fine then, sorry to bother you", she said and was about to close the door when the Asian girl jumped up and pulled it back open.  
"No, you can sit with us, come in", the girl said and even gave out a smile. Erica entered the compartment and lifted her trunk onto the seat.  
"Want some help with that?" the brunette asked. Erica just nodded; she was too surprised to form words. All of them were so cold just now and … the change of attitude was oddly sudden. The blonde girl was the same as before, though. After getting the trunk lifted to the shelf above the seats, the girls sat down and so did Erica.  
"What's your name?" the brunette asked.  
"Uh, Erica… Erica Clancy."  
"Cool, my name—"  
"_Clancy_? Seriously? Aren't all Clancy kids in Gryffindor?" the blonde girl had spoken. Erica didn't know what to say. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen.  
"Can't argue with you there", Erica replied coldly. "So?"  
"'So?' A Gryffindor can't sit with us", the blonde girl continued.  
"Last time I checked, I haven't been sorted yet", Erica snapped. The girl was about to say something, when she stopped and closed her mouth. She turned her head and began to look out of the window with a determined face.  
"Don't worry, she's always like that", the brunette said.  
"Shut it, Dru", the blonde snapped.  
"As I was saying", the brunette continued. "My name is Dru."  
"And I'm Lucy", the Asian girl said. "Miss Sunshine here is called—"  
"I _can_ introduce myself, thank you", the blonde girl said with a poisonous tone. She then turned to Erica. "I'm Drew Leurc."  
"Nice to meet you, all", Erica said.  
"Oh, please, the pleasure's all mine", Drew sneered. Lucy rolled her eyes.  
"So Erica, what house would you most want to be sorted into?" Dru asked her.  
"Whichever, as long as it's not Gryffindor", Erica answered truthfully. "I couldn't stand being in the same house as all my brothers and sisters."  
"Don't you get along with them?" Lucy asked with curiosity in her voice.  
"It's not that, I do, I just… I wanna do things _my_ way for once in my life."  
"Your way, Clancy?" the door to the compartment had been opened and everyone looked towards the voice. Erica gasped when she recognized the person. "Define 'your way'." Cole continued. He had apparently been listening to their conversation across the hallway, how else would he know Erica's last name? Erica blushed a little but didn't lower her eyes.  
"I just want to show them I'm special."  
"Everyone's special. That's why everyone's ordinary", Cole replied with a lazy voice. He looked around the room. "Who're your friends, Clancy?"  
"You don't get to come here and ask the questions, Malfoy!" Drew had stood up and her arrogance was back. '_Malfoy?' _Erica wondered.  
"Oh? You're a Leurc, aren't you?" Cole asked Drew. "No need to get all emotional…"  
"I've heard of you. How your family used to be all high and mighty, back when the Dark Lord lived. Notice the past tense", Drew said coldly.  
"And what about your family, Leurc? Orphaned, and at such a young age, too. Apparently the Dark Lord didn't take kindly to traitors", the last word seemed like a slap in the face. Drew's breathing was now faster and her blue eyes were filled with fury.  
"Get out, Malfoy", she whispered and made Cole smirk.  
"I think I'll stick around", Cole replied and with that, he sat next to Erica and took a relaxed pose. Erica, Lucy and Dru had been watching the conversation silently.  
"As the introduction was interrupted", Cole began. "Let's give it another shot. I trust Leurc knows better this time around."  
"My name", Lucy began with confidence, "is Lucy Yang."  
"Yang? That's original", Cole mocked. Lucy wasn't thrown aback by his words.  
"My family name's Korean, but my mother is European, I'm the first of my family to enter Hogwarts."  
"That is so very…" Cole began with fake enthusiasm, "boring", he ended his sentence coldly.  
"I'm glad you think so, I would consider myself unfortunate if I were considered interesting by you", Lucy replied smoothly. Cole seemed to ignore this last sentence.  
"And you?" he turned to Dru.  
"Drusilla Barclay", Dru replied shortly. "I suppose this is the part where you mock my family for being grave robbers?"  
"Where's the fun in mocking someone who already puts herself down all on her own?" Cole asked and got up. "Interesting crowd you chose for yourself, Clancy", he continued and was about to leave. Erica looked around at the other girls, and then turned her head to Cole.  
"I won't judge them based on their families, Malfoy, since the last thing I want is to be judged based on mine. I see you criticize all the other families here, so why not mine? Since you know all that, surely you've heard of the Clancy family."  
"I know one thing about them", Cole replied without turning back to look at Erica, "The rest of the family members don't spend their time sneaking around in Knockturn Alley."  
And with that, Cole closed the door their compartment and slipped back into his. He didn't look at Erica after that, and soon the curtains were closed on the compartment windows.  
"Knockturn Alley? What did he mean by that?" Dru asked Erica.  
"Yeah, and he seemed to know you, Erica, how can a Clancy be familiar with a Malfoy?" Drew inquired. Her arrogance had dropped a little; Erica suspected that it was taken over by curiosity.  
"I don't really _know_ him, I just met him at Knockturn Alley…"  
"What were you even doing there? He was right about that, Clancy's aren't really all that popular there", Dru said.  
"Yeah, I noticed", Erica muttered. "It's really not all that interesting, let's just… talk about something else for a while."

The conversation was changed to spells and classes. Erica was truly enjoying herself, if she didn't think about the fact that she would most likely, like the rest of the family, be sorted into Gryffindor. If that happened, she could kiss her new friends goodbye, assuming they didn't jinx her before she could even wave her hand.  
A dimpled woman came by the door with a trolley full of sweets. After buying Pumpkin Pasties, Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes and all kinds of other sweets, sugar high took over quite fast. Even Drew was smiling. She seemed to have forgotten Erica's family ties and had given her some kind of approval. Erica had a few friends back home, though she did not see them often. Not that many magical families lived near the Clancy family. And now she felt like she had finally gotten something of her own, something her siblings could never take from her…  
"Erica…? What the _heck_ are you doing here?"  
The door to the compartment had once again been opened and to Erica's horror, there stood her twin sisters, looking at her in shock.  
"Sitting?" Erica stated the obvious. Tracey grabbed a hold of Erica's arm and pulled her up and out of the compartment. Erica looked back at Drusilla, Lucy and Drew, who gave each other questioning looks. Tracey and Jane pulled Erica along the train corridor. While passing the compartments, Jane smashed her fist on three of the doors they passed. A few seconds later the doors to those compartments were opened and one after the other, Erica, who was looking back at the compartment doors, saw all her three brothers sticking their heads out of different compartments. When the boys saw Tracey pulling Erica away, they came out of the compartments, closed the doors and followed the girls to an empty compartment that Jane had found.  
"What did you do now?" Anton asked with a challenging tone once the compartment door was closed. Mark sat on the seat and waited; Derek stayed and waited by the door. Erica just glared at Anton, what a question to ask…  
"I'll tell you what she did", Tracey started, outraged.  
"She was hanging out with Leurc's sister—"  
"And Barclay's demon offspring."  
"There was this third chick we didn't recognize—"  
"Still, obviously a future Slytherin!"  
"Our sister!! With Slytherins!!"  
"Is this true, Erica?" Mark asked her youngest sister. Erica crossed her arms and gave them a rude look.  
"Whoa, check the attitude change! Little Ms Popularity got a head rush!" Derek seemed surprised. Erica sighed and rolled her eyes, and stayed silent.  
"Erica", Mark began, "is something the matter? You do realize who you're spending time with?"  
"Yes, I realize who they are, thank you very much. They're my friends", Erica said, "The girls and Cole are one of the few people who don't –"  
"'The girls'?" Jane repeated and seemed amused.  
"…wait, Cole? Cole _Malfoy_?" Tracey asked in disbelief. Erica bit her lip. _Oops…_  
"...what of it?" Erica asked, trying to act tough. She knew perfectly well what the Malfoy family was like. Truth be told, she was a little shocked to hear Cole was Draco Malfoy's son, of course she did blame herself for being too thick to understand that of _course_ it was the Malfoy's that she had seen. She considered the information meaningless, however. What did it matter who Cole's father was? Did it change Cole as a person if his father was the 'enemy' of the savior of Witch and Wizards all around? Harry Potter had indeed saved the world by putting an end to the schemes of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and then as the 'hero' that he was, disappeared of the face of the earth. Erica never learned to fear You-Know-Who, she was born on the same day as his demise. She didn't grow up in a world filled with terror over Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. She was brought into a world filled with happiness and celebration.  
"Erica, are you even listening?" Mark asked and Erica woke from her thoughts.  
"Sure, Mark, as always", Erica replied. "Your sermon about Malfoy was quite interesting indeed. Can I go now? My friends are waiting", she continued. Her siblings looked at each other and Mark sighed.  
"Feel free to leave, then."  
And with that, Erica got up and left.

"First years, gather here, please!" a young lady was waving her hand. She had a red lantern in her other hand and all the first years were moving towards her. Moving around was much more easier without the heavy trunks and Erica, Drusilla, Lucy and Drew reached the lady quite fast, pushing through the crowd of the older students. Erica saw her siblings pass by, giving her worried looks, but she chose not to care. She considered not being able to detect Cole from the crowd a much bigger problem than her over caring family.  
The platform to which the train arrived was soon completely empty of the older students. There were a lot of first years, at least 40 kids had gathered around the lady.  
"Please form a line in pairs and follow me", the lady said with a loud, clear voice and after seeing a satisfying line, she turned and started walking. Evening had arrived and soon the lights from the station had been left behind. The only source of light was the red lantern they saw ahead. Erica had paired up with Lucy, and just like many other students, they had to look down at their feet to make sure they wouldn't trip. The lady took them down a set of stairs into a slender path. It was dark and Erica hit her foot into, she would guess, roots of trees. And from the silent groans of pain she heard around her, she knew she wasn't the only one.

Little by little, the path started to gain more light, coming from ahead. Erica lifted her head and saw where the light was coming from. They had come to a lake, filled with little boats. Each boat had a small lantern placed in them, but the light wasn't coming from them. At least not all of the light… In front of them, was a huge stone castle, right on the other side of the pitch black lake.  
"Four students on each boat", the lady said calmly. "Quickly please", she added and all first years hurried into the little boats. Erica and her friends took over one of the boats, Lucy in front, Erica and Drusilla in the middle and Drew sitting in the back. The little lantern was placed in between Erica and Dru. There were no paddles in the boats.  
"How does the boat get moving without a paddle?" Erica whispered to Drusilla and she shrugged.  
"I hope they don't expect us to paddle with our hands", Dru whispered back and Drew, who had been listening, made a scoffing sound.  
"I'm not doing that. The water must be freezing!" Drew said as if even the idea froze her. Erica looked around to see if there were enough boats. Most of the students had settled in but there were still a few standing on the shore. The lady sorted the rest randomly into free boats and then stepped into a boat of her own. She gave the shore one last glance, making sure everyone was onboard.  
"Alright, then, let's move **forward**", she emphasized the last word, and just with that, all the boats started to move towards the castle as a group. Erica looked over the lake.  
"Look at the surface", Drusilla whispered. "It's like glass! We're not making any waves!"

They were nearing the castle, and Erica was starting to fear they would crash into the mountain wall which Hogwarts had been built on. Erica squinted her eyes and saw that there was a wide gap in the cliff, which was hidden by a curtain of ivy.  
"Lower your heads, students", the lady called to the boats behind her and as the boats glided into the ivy, the students bent their heads to prevent from touching it. The ivy pathway was long enough to make their backs ache from bending down so low. And finally they reached a wide round area where all the students were able to climb off their boats to a stone dock of sorts. Once the line was formed again, the lady led them up a round, stone stairway. Erica, tired and hungry from the long journey, was afraid the stairway would never end, until she saw the sky once more. Stars had come out and the sight was absolutely breath taking. They had reached the Hogwarts grounds and were led to a huge wooden door. The lady gave the students one more glance, making sure everyone had reached the front door and then knocked three times.  
The door creaked and swung open. The lady walked inside and the first years followed.  
"Ah, yes, we've been expecting you", the wizard who opened the door told the lady. "No problems, I assume?"  
"None at all, Professor Atwater", the lady replied. "First years, this way, please."  
After getting over the shock that was caused by the size of the Entrance Hall to which they were led into, the students regained their ability to move forward. Erica could hear Professor Atwater closing the door behind them as they walked past the enormous Hall. The lady took the students into a rather small room. They had to stand close to each other; there was barely any space to move at all. No one was in the mood for chit-chat either, so once all the students had crammed into the room and the door was closed, they merely waited, silently. The lady turned around to look at the students.  
"I would like to welcome each of you to Hogwarts. My name is Celia Sinclair, you will address to me as 'Professor Sinclair'. In a moment, we will pass through these doors and The Sorting Ceremony will begin. There are four houses in all. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. During your seven years of magic school, your house will be like your family. And as to all of you, there is no changing of houses, as there is no changing of families, either."  
"Tell me about it…" Erica muttered bitterly. She could feel Drew's head turn toward her behind her, but ignored it.  
"I will come back to get you once we're ready", and with that, Professor Sinclair left the room.  
"I'm finally here", Erica whispered.  
"You and the rest of us", she heard Cole's voice. "Or is it just you that matters?"  
"Shut it, Malfoy", Drew said.  
"You know, Leurc, I really don't like your attitude. Not one bit", Cole replied coldly.  
"Aw, that's too bad. And I should care?"  
"You better w—"  
"LOOK!" someone yelled and pointed at the ceiling, gaining everyone's attention right away. All eyes turned to where the girl pointed. Erica gasped sharply as she saw something unnatural. A robed … man flew through the ceiling. He was white and transparent and there was something silvery on him. A lot of the students started to scream as the ghost dived at them.  
"Wicked cool!" some boy next to Erica yelled with a wide, excited smile on his face. Erica really didn't see what was so 'cool' about the apparition. She heard someone sigh nearby and looked to see, only to find another ghost, almost right next to her.  
"That's Bloody Baron for you… Always looking forward to scare the new students… Bit of a dilemma really. Is it any wonder ghosts are still avoided? We're not _all_ bad, you know!" he gave the students a wink and floated above their heads.  
"Welcome to Hogwarts, first years!"

Soon after, Professor Sinclair returned and led them to the next room. If the size of the Entrance Hall shocked them, it was nothing compared to the shock of the next room. The ceiling was charmed to look like the night sky, and there were hundreds of candles floating in the air above them. Four long tables had been placed in the hall, leaving somewhat roomy corridors between them. The students were lead through the middle of the hall, towards the back wall. The first years gathered in front of a fifth table, at the end of the Great Hall. A wooden stool was placed there and on top of that an old wizard's hat. Professor Sinclair walked to the stool, took the hat and turned to the first years.  
"Once I read your name, I want you to move forward and sit on the stool. I will then place the hat on your head and you will be sorted into your house."  
And so it began. Professor Sinclair started to read out names from the parchment she had in her right hand and once the student had been sorted, the claps and cheers showed the student which table to join. A few students had been sorted when Erica's heart jumped.  
"Erica Clancy."

Erica came through the students, walked up to the stool and sat down. She felt the Sorting Hat being placed onto her head and she closed her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3 The Dark Mark

A/N: What does the Sorting Hat do during its vacations? Practice his rhyming and poetry! ;D Instead of a song, the Sorting Hat is a poet this year…

Chapter 3

**The Dark Mark**

"_What's this I see inside your head?" _Erica heard a voice whisper in her ear.  
"_Bitterness and some regret_…  
_I assumed you would be Gryffindor…  
But now, my dear, I see much more!  
You cannot hide your true self;  
this hat's smarter than some house elf!  
Give me time, now let me ponder,  
We'll give them something they might wonder;  
Yes, that's it, now I'm certain,  
It's time to close the final curtain"_ the hat was silent for a while and then Erica,  
along with the rest of the great hall, heard the final word.  
"**SLYTHERIN**!"

The common room wasn't quite as Erica had imagined… From what she had heard from her brothers and sisters, Erica had assumed that the common rooms were always filled with smiling people and it was as if something was floating in the air. In her mind, Erica had built an image of a warm place, where every frown would be turned upside down. What a childish image. It seemed that Erica's image couldn't be farther from the truth…  
The entrance to the Slytherin common room was down in the dungeons. Seeing the stone wall open up would've impressed Erica if she hadn't seen the same system when entering Diagon Alley. Only different was that instead of tapping the bricks with a wand, the wall opened with a password. ('Devil's Kettle'). A large room opened before the first years, but being the snobby, ungrateful brats the most of them were, none seemed impressed. They were led in by the Slytherin Prefects, a tall, skinny boy and an even taller and skinnier girl. Entering the common room, Erica first noticed the tall pillars made from green marble, built in a line between the entrance and the common room.  
The common room was indeed quite roomy; behind the pillars was a wide stairway, only a few stone steps long. As Erica took the last step down the stairs, her feet landed on an emerald green wall-to-wall carpet. There were no windows, but there was no shortage of light. Erica raised her head and up there, in the very center of the dome-like ceiling was a gorgeous chandelier. As if all this wasn't enough to impress, on the right side of the room there was a large archway, adorned with dark green curtains, the curtains decorated with silvery patterns. On the left side, there was a huge, beautiful fireplace and above it the Slytherin Emblem, a huge silvery 'S' with a green snake entangled around it. In front of the fireplace was three dark green sofas, so dark, they were almost black, placed in a semi-circle, the two longer sofas facing each other and the third, smaller sofa in between, facing the fireplace. Small bookcases were placed in pairs around the room and there was also a big round table near the back of the room, twelve chairs placed around it. Erica's eyes were wide and she had only seen half of the common room. The prefects didn't let the first years admire the view for long. The boy turned to look at them.  
"This is the Slytherin common room, as ya'll prob'ly realized already. The pass is 'Devil's Kettle', don' ferget it. Now let's move on, we have better things to do than to give ya'll a tour n' stuff", the boy said and with that, the two Prefects led them through the archway, which soon split into two. Both the prefects turned around. The girl stepped forward.  
"Here's the dealio", she began, "girls sleep on my right, boys on the left. You will get to a hallway and the number of your year will be on your door! Easy enough? We're the PERfects, Larxy and Dex, don't bother us and never talk to us in public and you won't get a bloody nose, 'kay? Now go away."  
"Wow, she was friendly", Lucy muttered sarcastically in Erica's ear.  
"She's my sister, I'd appreciate if you didn't badmouth her while I'm present", Drew hissed behind them. Lucy glanced behind with a slightly startled look on her face. She muttered an embarrassed apology as she turned back. The girls headed right and Erica saw how the boys went around the corner on the left side, Cole as their 'leader'. As she turned back, she saw the room they had walked into. It was less impressive than the common room itself, but still pretty big. There was a wooden door and as they went through it they had arrived into a hallway, just like Drew's sister had said. The first years started walking through the corridor and reached the first door. It had a silvery seven hanging on it. A few of the girls sighed, they were all tired and the great welcoming feast had made them all even sleepier. Without words, they continued, passed doors six, five, four, three and two… and then finally, the hallway ended. Drew reached the door first and she was already inside the room when the last of the girls, Lucy, entered.  
"So this will be our room for the next seven years?" Lucy asked as she sat on the nearest bed.  
"Probably just the first year", Drusilla replied. "That's my bed, by the way", she continued and Lucy looked at her.  
"What…? As if that matters, they're all identical!"  
"Yeah, but my trunk's next to it, so it's obviously mine", Drusilla replied calmly. The rest of them looked for their trunks. Erica approached the bed where she saw hers. It was in the middle of the, next to the window. Her trunk had been brought next to it and was easily recognized from her initials, 'E.C.'.  
"Lucy, please get up, that's my bed."  
"Oh, come on, Lauren, it's clearly my bed. 'L.Y.', see?"  
Lauren sighed, frustrated, "You're not the only 'L.Y.' here, Lucy!" Lauren Yeeker was one of the new Slytherins. Her hair was curly and orange and her eyes were the lightest shade of blue Erica had ever seen. She was a quiet girl, but Erica was sure her shyness would step aside quite quickly.  
"I have a headache, stop being so loud! Just open the trunks and see which is which!" Drew whined from her corner. The four other beds were on each side of the room, placed apart like a mirror image.  
"This one's mine", Lucy said as she recognized her own trunk. Lauren walked across the room to her own bed. The girls started going through their things, putting their clothes in their closets and decorating their areas with posters and personal items.  
Erica had just changed into her night gown and was now sitting on her bed and just looking out of the window at the beautiful scenery. Her window was towards the lake and the stars reflecting on the water surface looked magical.  
"Lucy, wow", Erica turned from the window as she heard Drew's voice. Drew was standing next to Lucy, who was on her knees next to her trunk. Lucy was holding something in her hand. "What a beautiful dream catcher!"  
"You think so? Thanks", Lucy gave Drew a warm smile. "My mother made it when she was young."  
"She's really talented! I've never seen anything like that", Drusilla said. She, too, was now next to Lucy.  
"Is that…" Lauren whispered, she didn't seem to dare come closer for some reason. Lucy nodded and smiled.  
"The Dark Mark, yes."

That caught Erica's attention and she got up as well. The dream catcher was quite small and made from green strings and feathers. The strings of the top circle were intertwined together, forming the Dark Mark in the middle. It was really a thing of beauty, even in Erica's eyes.  
"Let me see that", Drew commanded and snatched the dream catcher from Lucy's hands.  
"No!" Lucy gasped and got to her feet, reaching to get it from her. "Give it back, Drew!"  
"Relax, I'm only looking!" Drew said and when trying to avoid Lucy, she accidentally dropped the dream catcher.  
"You'll break it!" Lucy cried out and stormed at her dream catcher. They both got a hold of it at the same time and with a quick movement, the dream catcher was snapped in two. Drusilla gasped and Lucy let out a crushed moan. Drew had a startled expression for a while, and then she threw the half of the dream catcher to Lucy. "How could you! How could you!" Lucy cried and kneed next to her broken dream catcher.  
"It wasn't my fault!" Drew snapped.  
"Yes it was!! I told you to give it back, Drew! And you ruined it!!"  
"Oh, come _on_! It was just a dream catcher, it's not like anyone's going to _die_ because of it! Totally replaceable."  
"'Replaceable'?! It's not like you can buy them from Diagon Alley, my mother made that by herself!!"  
"Don't worry, Luce", Erica said and went to her trunk. She took out her wand and walked to Lucy. "I'll fix it.

Erica waved the wand the same way as she had done with the chair at Ollivander's. She felt the power coming from the wand and herself, she saw her friends looking at her with amazed expressions. The pieces of the dream catcher floated into the air and spun around, just like before.  
And then suddenly, Erica felt something go wrong.  
A green flash of light was the last thing the girls saw.


	4. Chapter 4 Memories

Chapter 4

**Memories**

The good news was that the dream catcher was fixed. Five girls were lying on the floor of the dormitory. The ceiling had collapsed and bruised and cut the girls. Slytherins were storming into the room. The girls gasped and one of the sixth years stepped forward.  
"Someone, get Professor Blithe!" she told the girls behind her and a few of them left the dormitories.  
"Drew!" the female Prefect, Larxy called out and rushed into the room, kneeing down next to her sister.  
"D'you know her, Larx?" another girl asked.  
"No, Sam, she's a total stranger and that's why I'm so worried about her", Larxy replied sarcastically.  
"That doesn't really make any sense…" Sam replied and Larxy snorted.  
"Of course I know her, she's my little sister!!"

"What happened here?!" Ethan Blithe had entered the room and had a shocked expression on his face.  
"The ceiling collapsed, Professor…"  
"Really? Well thank you Ms. Reven, I could not have figured that out myself!"  
"Well, I think it's quite obvious, Professor…" Samantha Reven muttered, and received a glare from Professor Blithe. He took out his wand and created five gurneys and magically lifted the girls onto them.  
"Everyone, go back to bed. I will request the house elves to clean this mess. Sleep well."  
"Professor… may I join you…? She's my sister…"  
"Ms. Leurc, there's nothing you can do, please return to your dormitory. You can visit your sister at the Hospital Wing tomorrow."  
"Yes, Professor…" Larxy replied and watched the five girls float away after the Professor.

The racket caused by the explosion had carried to the boys' dormitory as well. Cole Malfoy had gone to see what had happened and saw Erica lying on a floating gurney, unconscious.

"Did you hear about the explosion?"  
"About _what_?"  
"What explosion? Where?"  
"The Slytherin common room!"  
"_Ha_! Serves them right! Damn Slytherins…"  
"Did anyone get hurt?"  
"I hear someone _died_! And some boy got his arm blown up!"  
"Ewww, freaky!!"  
"You better not be making this up, Dorian!"  
"It's what I heard!"  
"What was the cause of the explosion?"  
"No one knows! Only thing I heard about that was that it started in the girls' dormitory."

Tracey Clancy had been listening nearby and now approached the group of gossiping  
Ravenclaws. They seemed startled at first, but then grew relieved. Gryffindors had always been friendly with Ravenclaws. But today Tracey didn't feel the need to be friendly.  
"Do you have any info based on facts, or are you just gossiping about my little sister for fun?"  
"Your…?"  
"My sister, yes. She was in that explosion and now she's lying in the Hospital Wing. There! Now you have something real to gossip about!" and with that, Tracey stormed away.

"Who was that?" one of the Ravenclaw girls asked.  
"Tracey Clancy", the boy who had been spreading the gossip replied.  
"And her sister? "  
"Jane Clancy. I don't get what she was on about, though. We weren't talking about Gryffindors."  
"Hey, wasn't there a Clancy in the Sorting Ceremony this year? Red-headed chick?"  
"I'm… not sure. Was there?"  
"Yeah. I think she was sorted into…"  
"Lemme guess. Slytherin?"  
"And now she's in the Hospital Wing…"  
"Oh, this is good stuff. Excuse me ladies, I have to go inform everyone I've ever met!"

In just a few hours most of the students were aware of the incidents in the Slytherin common room and that it was most likely caused by the new first years. The name that was repeated multiple times that day was Erica Clancy. The other Clancy siblings were being constantly interrogated by curious students and the school nurse had to limit access to the Hospital Wing, allowing only those with a valid reason for visitation to enter.  
"Some people are just too nosy for their own good…" Mark said as he entered the Gryffindor common room. He dropped his schoolbag on the floor and fell into a chair in exhaustion. The day was finally coming to its close, and the Clancy siblings couldn't be happier to see it end. All of them were as hungry for answers as the rest of the school, but being inquired about it all day long was really very tiring.  
"Who was it this time?" Jane asked with a bored voice. She was sitting on one of the red chairs and was braiding Tracey's long hair, who was sitting on the floor, reading.  
"Wendy Truken", Mark replied and sighed, "She was obviously sent by her friends and apparently thinks that one date makes us soul mates who share everything…"  
"I hope you hexed her", Jane said and Mark let out a laugh which was more disappointed than happy.  
"I didn't get the chance, Professor Ritt happened to pass by… I sort of used him as an excuse to get away from Wendy."  
"Ugh, what a day!! I'm exhausted!" Anton joined in. "Did you write to Mum and Dad yet?" he asked Mark, who shook his head.  
"I'd rather see Erica on her feet before worrying them… You know how they are when they worry. I shrivel at the thought of Mum hearing how Erica's in Slytherin, hanging out with Malfoy's Hell spawn and how she blew up her whole dormitory on her first night here."  
"Ah… smart choice, yeah…" Anton replied and nodded.  
"I wish I knew what happened to her… And… why the _heck_ is our sister in Slytherin?!" Jane formed the question everyone had on their mind.  
"The Sorting Hat has gone mad, it's as simple as that", Derek said bluntly.  
"Ha-ha", Jane replied sarcastically, "you know as well as I do that the Sorting Hat doesn't make mistakes. There's more to this."  
"I agree", Mark nodded. "All we can do now is wait for Erica to wake and talk to her…"

"And she still hasn't woken up?"

"No, father. It's been five days since the explosion and the Clancy girl's still in the Hospital Wing. Leurc and Yeeker are on their feet, though, people are treating them like royalty. I asked around, they don't seem to remember anything…"  
"They're not important. You need to get close to Erica."  
"But why, father? She's just an ordinary girl, why should I waste my time on her?"  
"I don't need you to understand or ask questions! I need you to do as I say!!"

The boy stayed quiet and turned away from the fireplace he had been talking to.  
"When she wakes up", the father spoke, "bring her to me."  
"How am I supposed to do that?" the boy asked, trying to keep the arrogance to a minimum.  
"You're a Malfoy. Improvise."

And with that, Draco Malfoy's head disappeared from the fireplace.

…__

…bright….  
Way too bright…  
…that's better, much better…  
…not too bright anymore…  
someone's… holding my hand…  
warm… so warm…  
"Erica?"  
_A boy's voice… should open my eyes…  
No… too bright again.  
Bright green… green?  
Like a flash…. Green flash…_

…

"Peanuts!"  
"…peanuts?" Cole repeated. Erica looked at him, a blank expression on her face.  
"Cole…? What? Where am I?"

"You're in the Hospital Wing", he replied, while trying to force a serious face. Erica blushed. Had she really just woken up and yelled out 'peanuts'?  
"Uh…" Erica looked down, still blushing. "What happened?"  
"You don't remember?" Cole sounded disappointed somehow. Erica frowned slightly, trying to remember. But nothing seemed to come to her… She shook her head.  
"No, I have no idea… How long have I been here? What _happened_, Cole?" Erica asked. Cole sighed and began to tell her.  
"It's been seven days. You were found unconscious in your dormitory. The ceiling had collapsed and apparently something exploded in there… You were all in pretty bad shape…"  
"'All'? The other girls, too? Are they okay?!" Erica felt panicked; she looked around the room to see if the other beds were occupied.  
"Yeah, I think, they all woke up before you and were released yesterday. They don't remember anything either."  
"Oh… I… see", Erica muttered, feeling relieved for her friends. She then realized Cole was still holding her hand and blushed again.  
"I'm glad you're okay", Cole said and got up from the chair he was sitting on. "I have to go now."  
"What?" Erica felt herself panic once more as Cole let go of her hand. "Where?"  
"I have classes and Madam Lane will be coming back soon. I'm not allowed in here, you see. No family ties or anything…"  
"You… you snuck in here to see me…?" Erica asked and felt her heart beating faster.  
"See you tomorrow", he said and left.

When Erica was left alone, she did her best to remember the events in the common room, but it seemed as if her memory had been wiped clean. She could recall arriving in school, the Sorting and the glamorous welcoming feast afterwards…, the journey to the Slytherin common room and sitting on her bed in the dormitory. Unpacking and laughing with friends and then… a green flash and black after that…

"Oh my goodness, see what happens when I let myself be persuaded to eat in the Great Hall? You're awake, Ms Clancy, thank heavens, I was getting worried!" a young woman had rushed into the room and straight to her bedside. She was wearing a red dress and a white apron was tied around her waist. She had a white scarf tied on her head. Her blonde hair was tied in a knot, with a few strands of her golden hair loose, forming a vague fringe. She was examining Erica with a fussing attitude. "Just like the others", she said, more to herself than to Erica, "Perfectly healthy… how odd. And I don't suppose you remember anything, either?" Erica just shook her head as a reply. "Oh, dear me, I'm Madam Lane, the school nurse. And I hereby release you, you are free to go, my dear."

Erica changed back to her robe; she had been dressed into a white pajama, and then she went on her way. She felt… overwhelmed by something and she couldn't quite grasp what it was… She saw how a group of students were running her way, panting about being late. Suddenly they stopped running and stared at her. Or were they staring? Maybe Erica was just being paranoid… But why were they whispering? And what about?  
Erica kept walking and passed them by. They kept whispering, which annoyed Erica. She turned to look and saw how they had started running again. _Late… from what? Their lessons?_ Erica wondered which lesson she should be on right now. Where should she go?  
Suddenly she realized just how hungry she was… No wonder, she hadn't eaten in a week! They probably have some ways to feed people in the same state… Where could she find food?  
Erica was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't give any thought to where she was walking. She looked around and saw bookcases, which automatically made her realize she must be in the library. And quite an impressive library, too; there must have been a hundred, if not a thousand books there! The bookcases were so tall that there were ladders leaning onto them. Erica saw tables for study groups and gathered around one of them was a group of Gryffindors. And as Erica recognized one of them, that someone recognized her as well…  
"…Erica!" Mark called out. Erica didn't know why, but all her instincts told her to leave. The rest of Mark's group had turned to look at her and Mark was already on his way to her. And then she realized she was running. Away from her brother, out of the library. She heard Mark telling her to stop, to wait, to listen. But she kept running. How could she face her family now? There was no way they'd understand!

"Ow!"  
She had run right into someone, knocked her over and fallen down on the stone floor as well.  
"Erica, watch where you're going!"  
"Erica?"  
"Erica!" Erica felt someone hug her and recognized her friends. Lucy had thrown herself to embrace her and then helped her get u from the floor. Then Lucy pulled Drew on her feet. There they were, all her friends, completely healthy. Drew had wounds on her head and arm, Dru and Lucy were bruised around the neck and Lauren seemed to have hurt her right foot.  
"You're awake!" Drusilla smiled and hugged Erica as well.  
"Haha, yup", Erica replied with a smile.  
"When did you wake up?" Lauren asked.  
"Just now, I mean, a while ago."  
"Do you… uhm; do you remember what happened… that night?" Lucy asked in an avoiding manner. Erica just shook her head. "Yeah, neither do we…" she continued. "We've been trying to figure it out, but… nothing's popping up."  
"It's SO frustrating!! It feels like someone stole our memory!" Drew complained.  
"Yeah, like there's nothing there to remember!" Erica agreed.  
"Exactly! We have to keep trying…" Drusilla said.  
"Yeah… let's get back to the common room. They cleaned up our dormitory, too, though some of our personal stuff got ruined…"

The dormitory seemed good as new, like nothing had ever happened there. Except for the blown up items, such as Lauren's stuffed animals and Drew's burnt posters.  
"What on earth could have happened here?" Erica wondered as she went through her ruined items. "I just don't get it!"  
"Neither do we. Drusilla went to ask Madam Lane whether there's a way to bring back our memories magically, but…"  
"What did she say, Dru?" Erica asked the brunette, who shook her head.  
"There's nothing she can do", she replied and put on a fake smile and mimicked the school nurse, "'Believe me, dear, the headmistress is just as keen on knowing what happened as you are', she told me. Word to word. We just have to keep trying", Drusilla said and the rest of the girls sighed.

"Aren't we supposed to have classes today?" Erica asked.  
"What's this all of a sudden? You _just_ woke up, Erica; you can take the day off!" Lauren said in disbelief.  
"But what about the rest of you? Won't you get in trouble?" Erica looked around the room, seeing how her friends exchanged amused looks.  
"Well, we're taking the day off as well", Drew smirked. "Professor Blithe did give us our timetables but… we decided to go tomorrow…"  
"What's our timetable like? Do we all have the same ones?" Erica asked, she was anxious to get started, after a week of sleeping.  
"Relax, Erica! You'll be getting yours as well, probably at dinner tonight or breakfast tomorrow!"  
"And yes, they're identical, all the Slytherin first years have the same classes. And depending on the school subject, we're with either Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or…" Lucy paused and formed a disgusted expression on her face, "Gryffindor."  
Erica nodded, she was indeed excited to get on her first lesson. She only hoped that she wouldn't be too far behind after sleeping for a whole week…  
"Snap out of it, Erica! We're going to leave you behind if you don't!" Drusilla laughed and made Erica realize that everyone else had cleared out of the room.  
"Where are we going?" Erica rushed after the girls.  
"Do you ever listen?" Drew asked with a cocky attitude. "We're going to dinner, duh!"  
"Yeah, Ree, you must be starving!" Drusilla said and gave Erica a smile. "I know I was when I woke up yesterday!"  
"'Ree'?" Drew repeated. Drusilla nodded.  
"Just trying on a nickname! You don't like it?"  
"We should call her 'Ric'!" Lauren laughed.  
"Oh please, if you want to give her a boy's name, just pick 'Eric'!" Drew snapped. "I think 'Rica' would be the best!"  
"Hey, would you stop talking about me like I'm a dog?" Erica laughed. She was still happy to have her friends picking out nicknames for her.  
"What would you prefer, Erica?" Lucy asked her.  
"She can't pick her own nickname! That's just lame!"  
"Let's just see what sticks, shall we?" Erica smiled as they entered the Great Hall.  
"Ree it is, then!" Drusilla declared, victoriously.  
"What! Why does your suggestion win?" Lauren asked with a slight frown.  
"Because I was the first to come up with a nickname! Right, Ree?"  
"Call me a pugmypuff if you want, I'm too hungry to care", Erica replied and followed Drew to one of the four long tables. It wasn't hard to figure out which house sat in which table, thanks to the colors of the houses. Slytherin was the one next to the east side wall, next to them sat the Ravenclaws, then Gryffindors and at the other end of the hall was the Hufflepuff table.  
After taking their seats, Erica gave a quick look around the Slytherin table, trying to spot Cole. He wasn't there, so Erica gave up and started gathering food on her golden plate. As she was eating she let her eyes wonder around the hall. She saw two Gryffindors enter the hall and felt how the meat she had swallowed got stuck in her throat. She started coughing loudly, gaining unwanted attention from her fellow Slytherins and other students. The two Gryffindors noticed as well, recognizing their coughing sister. When Erica had coughed the piece of meat out, she hastily glanced back at the mahogany doors and to her horror she saw her twin sisters on their way to her!  
"Oh no…" Erica mumbled in panic.  
"What is it, Ree?" Drusilla asked. "Are you okay?"  
"No, not okay… can we… go, please?" Erica asked her friends, receiving confused looks as replies.  
"Go…? We just got here!"  
"I know, but…"  
"Erica…"

Erica sighed and turned towards the voice, seeing Jane and Tracey in front of her. Most of the Slytherins lifted their faces from their plate, even the Ravenclaws turned to see why two Gryffindors would approach a Slytherin.  
"Do you know them, Ree?" Drusilla asked. Erica just looked from one sister to other.  
"Do you know us, 'Ree'?" Jane asked in a mocking tone.  
"Or did a week long coma make you forget your sisters?" Tracey continued. Erica sighed and whispering followed all over the hall.  
"Sisters?"  
"Yeah, Drew. Meet Jane and Tracey Clancy. I told you I had two sisters and three brothers. And as you pointed out, they're all in Gryffindor."  
"Where you should be as well!" Jane said.  
"Look, do you mind?" Drusilla spoke, "We're trying to enjoy our meal!"  
"Whooh, these first years have _attitude_, that's for sure!!" Tracey said, surprised and sarcastic at the same time.  
"Trey, calm down, we're not here to fight", Jane told her twin.  
"We aren't?!"  
"Erica, can we talk without the fan club?" Jane continued, ignoring Tracey's pretentious shock.  
"_Fan club_?!" Drew rose to her feet and Erica pulled her back down.  
"I'm with my friends now. Not really the best time for me", Erica replied coldly. Jane and Tracey seemed shocked and out of words. Jane turned to leave, grabbed Tracey's sleeve and they walked away. The other students continue to stare at Erica for a little while longer, and then one by one they turned back to their meals. Before her friends had the chance to pry and ask questions, Erica decided to leave.

Erica found her way back to the common room in the dungeons. As she walked past the pillars, she saw Cole sitting on one of the green sofas. Erica felt her mood lift and approached the boy. He didn't react or make any movement to acknowledge her presence, just kept staring at the fireplace and the flames dancing.  
"I didn't see you at dinner", Erica said, casually.  
"I wasn't hungry", he replied. There was an awkward silence, at least it felt that way to Erica. She sat down on the other end of the sofa.  
"You should eat something", she continued. Then when she realized how much she sounded like her own mother she stuttered, "I mean, it would have been… nice to… see you there. You know. Eating. We could… Eat together sometime…" Erica went on, feeling more and more of an idiot by each word she let out. She heard Cole let out a boyish chuckle and lifted her head, looking at him. He was still looking at the other way, so Erica lowered her eyes back to her lap.  
"How are you feeling?" Cole asked and this time Erica noticed that he was looking at her. She blushed and looked back at him.  
"Me? Oh, fine, don't worry about me. I'm doing… great, yeah."  
"You seem… troubled?"  
"Ah? I'm… not. Well. Except for… but, it's nothing…" Erica paused and looked to her lap again.  
"Yes?"  
"My… my memory. I mean. It's bothering me that I can't remember what happened."  
"There's a way to restore it", Cole said. He seemed serious.  
"But Madam Lane said—"  
"It's not a healing art, so she wouldn't know about it. It's… dark magic, actually. But it works, I heard it's very effective."  
"Heard…? From who?" Erica asked curiously. She had always been warned about dark magic… but not knowing pained her and weighed on her… she didn't care about how the memory would be restored if it worked.  
"My father", Cole replied shortly and Erica took a sharp breath. Draco Malfoy…  
"Your father…?"  
"He might be able to help you…"  
"But how can he…? We're at school, he can't help me here…"  
"We can get there. Through the Floo network."  
"We can…? But we aren't allowed! Are we?"  
"I'm not forcing you. But if you want to know what happened to you, we have to go."

Erica hesitated. Go ask Draco Malfoy to restore her memory? It sounded unreal, absurd, simply insane. Cole had his eyes fixed on Erica, he was waiting for an answer.  
"Okay. Let's go", Erica said after a while and got up from the sofa. Cole gave a calm nod, but stayed put. Erica started to feel quite stupid, standing and waiting there. Cole kept looking at the fireplace. Erica felt her face getting warm and she sat back down quietly. "Um. Cole? Why aren't we…"  
"We're waiting."  
"Waiting for what?" Erica asked, confused. She waited. "..aren't we going to go---?"  
"Go where?"  
Erica looked towards the voice and saw her friends. Many students were flowing into the common room. Drew, Drusilla, Lucy and Lauren had approached the sofa and just as Erica was about to reply, Cole stood up.  
"I'm taking Erica to see Professor Tonks", he told Drew and walked past them. Erica was smart enough to follow him.  
"The Transfiguration teacher? What for?" Lucy wondered.  
"Uhh, well, apparently I missed today's class so I have to go… talk to him about it", Erica continued the lie the best she could.  
"Erica. Professor Tonks is a woman", Drew said.  
"Yeah, and we didn't even have Transfiguration class today", Lauren continued. "If you had stayed in the Great Hall you would've gotten your timetable and you would've known that", she continued and walked closer to hand a piece of paper to Erica. She blushed and looked down at her timetable.  
"What's going on, Ree?" Drusilla asked and Erica sighed. She was about to reply when Cole took her hand.  
"You don't owe them any explanations, Erica, so let's just go", he told her and pulled her away.  
"What? Wait! Erica!!" Drew seemed shocked from her behavior but she didn't turn back. She let Cole lead her out of the common room and from the dungeons.

"Here", Cole handed her a dark green silk pouch. It was tied with a silvery string and as Erica opened it, she saw it was filled with Floo Powder. She tipped some of it on her hand and gave the pouch back to Cole, who did the same. She looked at her, waiting. Cole had brought them to a room that probably belonged to a teacher. Erica couldn't help but wonder if the teacher in question was Professor Tonks, the Transfiguration teacher. On the bookshelves Erica saw shape shifters, artifacts that change from one form to another, and hanging on the walls there were paintings of different creatures turning into furniture. Erica turned back to Cole, who was facing the fireplace. "Do you want to go first?"  
Erica winced and shook her head hastily. She wasn't keen on showing in the Malfoy Manor out of the blue on her own. She valued her life, thank you very much… Cole seemed amused at her quick and determined reply and nodded.  
"I'll go first then. See you soon", he said and stepped into the fireplace. Erica took a hold of the sleeve of his robe and he turned back to look at her. "What is it?"  
"Can we… go together? I mean, at the same time?" she asked quietly. She remembered asking her mother the same thing the first time she was going to Diagon Alley and she blushed. Cole seemed taken aback for a while, but after a short silence he sighed and nodded.  
"Hold my hand tight, so we won't get separated", he said and Erica gave a slight nod, taking his hand into hers. They stepped into the fireplace together and Cole threw the Floo Powder;  
"The Malfoy Manor!"  
And in a flash of green, they disappeared from the castle of Hogwarts.


	5. Chapter 5 The Prophecy

Chapter 5

**The Prophecy**

"Good morning!"  
Haley Clancy turned away from the kitchen sink and gave her husband a bright smile, "Morning, dear. Give me just a moment, breakfast will be ready soon."  
"I hope you didn't make breakfast for eight people this morning", Max Clancy teased gently. Hayley kept smiling, but blushed slightly.  
"I'm still getting used to not having the children home…"  
"Hayley, this happens every year, you'd think you'd already be used to it!" Max laughed and took a seat.  
"Not like this. Erica's gone this year… It's… different now."  
"You honestly believe this year will be any different? Shouldn't we appreciate the fact that for the first time in seven years all the kids are away and we have time for ourselves and each other?"  
Hayley sighed, "You're right. I'm sorry… But this is Erica's first year… I… don't want any… complications."  
"Complications?" Max's voice was suddenly quiet and serious and he looked to his wife, who was knowingly avoiding eye contact. After a pause, he smiled and said, "You worry too much, Hayley. She'll be fine. She's only been gone two days and you worry already! If you keep this up, you'll be a nervous wreck by the time she comes home for Christmas!"

"Look at her, Max", the smile on Hayley Clancy's face was like never before as she held the baby in her arms. Max Clancy was smiling, too, and why wouldn't he have? Just now Hayley had given birth to a beautiful baby, third girl in the family. And she was beautiful.  
"Little baby Erica", Max whispered to his daughter and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "She really is beautiful…"

Truly, there could not have been a happier day. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had fallen only hours before this miraculous birth. The world was overjoyed. The details were still unknown and the tale was told as many different versions, but every story began with the same words; 'He did it, he did it, Harry Potter vanquished You-Know-Who!' What a sunny world to bring a child into! It seemed like nothing could ruin that amazing day, especially for Max and Hayley Clancy.  
How wrong they were.

"Isn't that sweet? There's nothing more beautiful than the love of a parent towards a new-born baby…"  
Max and Hayley lifted their eyes from Erica and saw a severe looking man in the doorway. He was dressed in black Muggle clothes, but was clearly a wizard. He took a few steps forward.  
"And who might you be?" Max asked politely.  
"I", he began pompously, "have been sent by the Minister for Magic. On a very serious matter, I might add. Who I am is of no importance, what I am here for, however, is", once he had stopped talking Max glanced at his wife and Erica, then looked back at the man. He, too, took a step towards the other.  
"And what might that be?" he asked silently. The man cleared his throat loudly and two more men walked in, one of them carrying a parchment roll. He handed it over to the pompous man and they left the room, closing the door.  
"Please understand, this is highly classified. Even you aren't allowed to hear this but… considering the circumstances, we really have no other choice…"  
He opened the parchment roll, held it up and began to read,

"The Dark Lord is gone,  
The dark shadow is dissolving,  
And a new day dawns,  
But this newfound peace isn't everlasting,  
For the Crimson Leader shall carry on,  
The Dark Lord's legacy,  
And a Third War will wage,  
Upon the Wizarding World."

Silence fell upon the room as the wizard lowered the parchment. Max and Hayley looked to one another, confused.  
"So what does that have to do with us?" Max asked.  
"Mr. Clancy, we have reasons to believe that the prophecy refers to your daughter."  
"What?" Hayley shrieked, "My daughter, the follower of You-Know-Who? The heiress of his powers, MY DAUGHTER? Are you people stupid, or just idiotic?"  
"Your daughter is to be named Erica, correct?"  
"What of it?" Max asked.  
"The name, 'Erica', bears a meaning. As does your family name, 'Clancy'."  
"So? Where is this going?"  
"The name of your daughter, Mr. Clancy, means Crimson Leader, which is mentioned in the prophecy."  
After a short silence, Hayley spoke again with the same unnaturally shrill voice.  
"And that's what you're basing your accusations on! A NAME? My name refers to a hay clearing, but I sure as heck am not one! Get out of my sight, get away from my child!"

Hayley was just about to go back to the house from the backyard when she glanced to the sky and saw a bird approaching, recognizing Mark's owl, Cindy.  
"Max, come out here", she raised her voice slightly so that her husband would hear her words. "It's Cindy!"  
"Well, about time! The family update from Hogwarts is a week late", Max replied and came outside just as Hayley had reached out her hand and caught the letter Cindy had dropped from her claws. "Well, let's hear it, then."  
"Dear Mum and Dad", Hayley began to read, "I really don't know how to write all of this. Dad, better make sure Mum's not on her feet-?" she lifted her eyes from the letter to look at Max. He had a confused frown on his face and he lifted his hand, expecting Hayley to give him the letter. After handing over the letter, she sat on the wooden bench in the backyard. Max continued to read where Hayley had stopped,  
"Sorry for not writing to you earlier, it's been a messy week… I know this sounds bad, so let me start with telling you that we're all fine… Last week, on the day we returned to school, something happened, though. During the Sorting Ceremony, Erica was placed into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor. We've done our best in figuring out exactly why that happened, but… we have no idea", Max paused and looked at his wife. She nodded, telling him to continue reading. "We discussed it after the welcoming feast and decided to talk to Erica on the next day… I don't know all the details or facts, but there was an explosion in the Slytherin common room on the first night. And it seems it happened in Erica's room. She and four other girls were taken to the Hospital Wing… We went to see her every day, but she was unconscious for a whole week… And yesterday, she woke up. I caught a glimpse of her in the library but for some reason she ran away. Tracey and Jane talked to her in the Great Hall… according to them, she didn't seem interested in being seen with them. It gets worse. Erica's been missing since yesterday. No one's seen her, even her Slytherin …'friends' don't know where she is. And coincidentally the Malfoy boy is nowhere to be found… I know this is a lot to take all at once, but I didn't want to write to you before knowing she was okay… I'll send you a letter the moment she's found… Mum, Dad, I'm sure she's fine. Love, Mark."  
Hayley had a shocked expression on her face and her eyes were filled with worry and sorrow. Max folded the letter and sat down next to Hayley, putting his arm around her.  
"…what? Max, what's… what's going on? What could this mean? Max, what do we do?"  
"We can't do anything right now…"  
"Let's go there! Let's go search! Max, we have to do something! That damn school… how could they be so … so irresponsible! Letting two students go missing..! My poor baby…! In SLYTHERIN! With a MALFOY!"  
"Hayley, try to calm down…"  
"Calm down?"  
"What I mean is, we can't do anything to help right now. So we'll just have to wait."  
"Oh, I knew we should've changed her name to Frederica!"

A/N: 'Frederica' refers to a peaceful leader, 'Erica' means 'ruler' (or 'forever').


End file.
